Education standard is ‘not acceptable’ at Hullbridge primary (From Echo)

Riverside Primary School plunged into special measures after Ofsted inspection

6:00pm Thursday 15th December 2011 in Rayleigh / Rochford By Ryan McCarthy

A SCHOOL has been plunged into special measures after being condemned for failing to give pupils “an acceptable standard of education”.

The damning report on Riverside Primary School, Hullbridge, comes after Ofsted inspectors visited last month.

They gave the school an overall rating of “inadequate”.

Inspector Kath Beck was: “This school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education.

“The persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement.”

It is the school’s first inspection after infant and junior schools, on the same site, were merged in September last year.

The report continued: “Attendance is high, but the overall attainment in mathematics and English, especially writing, is exceptionally low.

“Progress is very slow because expectations of what pupils know and can do are too low.”

The report said the school, which has almost 350 pupils, lacks a clear short or long term plan.

A mother, who has a son and a daughter at the school, but refused to be named, said: “It is difficult to single one thing out that I’m unhappy about as the school seems to be failing everywhere.

“Attendance was classed as outstanding, but that’s more to do with the parents.

“I know people are quite angry because it is the only school in the village and it might not be possible to move children to another school.”

The school in Ferry Road, failed to respond to a call by the Echo asking for a comment.